From Makoko to Camden: Rethinking Migration as a Global Public Good

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization. 

By Funmi Adebajo
June 16, 2025

How much of your life can you pack into two boxes to start over in a place you’ve never been?

For some, it’s a planned transition with a visa in hand. For others, it’s a desperate escape from disaster. For me, it was the next chapter in my mission to preserve human dignity by addressing the root causes of urban poverty—a phenomenon I have witnessed across continents.

For nearly a decade, I ran a grassroots nonprofit in Makoko, an informal settlement in Lagos, Nigeria, tagged the World’s Largest Floating Slum. The laughter of thousands of happy faces in the community belies the almost uninhabitable living conditions. With the support of the United States Consulate, I built schools for vulnerable women and children, fought against forced marriages and gender-based violence, and crossed the lagoon by canoe to provide education to teenage mothers. That was where I met Aunty Bisi, a hardworking teacher who helped gather the women for our various trainings. And that was where I also lost Aunty Bisi during COVID—not to the virus, but to poverty. She died of untreated hypertension because she couldn’t afford ₦10,000 (approx $7) for her medication. Her death still haunts me.

Hopes in one hand and three-year-old in the other, I moved to Camden, New Jersey to study Public Administration and Community Development at Rutgers University. I soon discovered that whether in Lagos or Camden, poverty looks the same! Soon, I started conducting research for the county on preventative solutions to homelessness and working with a nonprofit to build a community crisis response team. I was excited when my capstone research Exploring Shared Housing as a Solution to Intergenerational Homelessness in Camden County, New Jersey was listed as one of the best in my cohort and I cried when I won the Chancellor’s Award for Community Engagement. My dream of becoming a public policy expert with global relevance is coming true—and it happened because I packed my bags, from Makoko to Camden.

The Problem: Misunderstanding Migration

Migration is often framed by borders and statistics and policies. But today, I invite you to see the human stories that define migration and, most importantly, how the movement of people shapes societies.

Nigeria, with over 200 million people, has lost over half its doctors to migration, leaving a doctor-patient ratio of 1:5,000—far below WHO standards. This crisis mirrors Puerto Rico’s healthcare collapse post-Maria and the Philippines’ nursing shortage despite being a top source of nurses globally. This pattern extends beyond medicine. In technology, 36 percent of U.S. Fortune 500 companies like Google and Tesla were founded by immigrants or their children. Nigerian Americans alone have a median household income of $68,658—significantly above the U.S. average—and represent one of the most educated groups in America, with over 60 percent holding bachelor’s degrees.

Addressing the Real Concerns

Migrants are labeled a drain on resources and a strain on infrastructure. These concerns are valid but often indicate structural policy failures rather than immigrant usage. Camden’s housing crisis and the strain on social services reflect chronic underfunding. The severe socioeconomic outcomes—such as homelessness, addiction and low wages—reveal extensive structural economic dysfunction that requires critical appraisal and in-depth reform, not knee-jerk reactions that come with the election cycles.

I watched my stipend stretch thin while paying for my education here and sending money home to my family in Nigeria. I got winter jackets from my kind neighbor and sometimes relied on the community pantry for my supplies. However, the fiscal impact data tells a more complete story: while first-generation immigrants may use more services initially, second-generation immigrants contribute significantly more in taxes than they consume in services. The National Academy of Sciences found that immigration has an overall positive impact on long-term economic growth, with benefits increasing over time as communities adapt and integrate.

The Root Crisis

The real crisis isn’t migration itself—it’s the failure of source countries to harness their own human capital, combined with destination countries’ failure to create integration pathways that benefit everyone—citizens and residents. Young people in developing nations leave because they sometimes have no choice. We seek education, safety and economic stability, amongst others—things that should exist at home but do not. I left Nigeria because loving it meant finding ways to better serve the world. The housing strategies I’m developing for Camden draw directly from the participatory governance models I used in Makoko. Every policy brief I write, every research project I complete, every skill I develop all flows back home.

The Solution: Turning Migration into a Global Public Good

Having lived and worked on both sides of the equation, I know that reframing migration requires specific, actionable policies—not just noble intentions. Here’s what I’ve learned works:

The Global Compact for Migration calls for addressing displacement drivers, but this requires specific commitments. Climate adaptation funding, governance capacity building and economic development programs in source countries can make migration a choice rather than a desperate necessity. Canada’s Express Entry system offers a model that fast-tracks skilled workers while providing language training and credential recognition. In my field of public administration, I’ve seen how bureaucratic barriers prevent qualified migrants from contributing quickly. A social worker from Africa shouldn’t spend two years recertifying to serve Camden’s substance abuse population when that community desperately needs culturally competent services.

One best practice from Camden is the dual language education system of most of the schools. Amongst other support structures, recipient communities should consider establishing hubs where newcomers can access mentorship, legal aid, healthcare guidance and social networking opportunities. Though these connections require policy design, support and funding, they should be considered as investments to harness the talents of migrants.

Moving Forward Together

Migration isn’t just about people crossing borders; it’s about ideas, innovations and solutions crossing boundaries to create shared prosperity. The $7 that could have saved Aunty Bisi’s life represents millions of similar stories—investments in economic opportunities and governance structures that value human dignity.

As public administrators, we have the power to shift migration narratives from fear and restriction towards partnerships for global progress. But this requires acknowledging legitimate concerns while designing policies that address root causes rather than symptoms. Only then can we harness migration’s power for dignity, innovation and shared prosperity—from Makoko to Camden and everywhere in between.

---

Author: Funmi Adebajo is a graduate student in Public Administration at Rutgers University-Camden. She previously led education, economic empowerment and gender-based response programs in underserved communities in Nigeria. Her work focuses on developing solutions to urban poverty, governance and community-centered policy reform across the U.S. and Africa. She can be reached at [email protected]

(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...